IPL is a great idea. Eight cricket leagues (teams), comprising established and well-known Indian and international cricketers and new comers, are scheduled to play 59 T20 format games among themselves. Thanks to IPL, there is something exciting to look forward to on TV that is full of repetitive reality shows and boring soaps. IPL is a great way to boost cricket in India. It provides an avenue to lesser known cricketers to show their talent, to earn good money and to mingle with the senior players. IPL seems like a win-win situation for all, though some people argue that IPL is destroying the essence of cricket. Like everything, cricket needs to evolve with time, and T20 format is a welcome change. After all, who has the patience to keep track of a 5-day test-match or spend a day tracking a 50 over match. We definitely need to preserve tradition, so test-matches and one -day international matches must stay. But blaming T20 for destroying the spirit of cricket does not seem fair.
Going a step further, why not have IPL like leagues for other sports in the country such as track&field, hockey, swimming, badminton, lawn-tennis etc somewhat similar to NCAA in the US. Such leagues will definitely benefit the sports culture in India, give an opportunity to sportsmen to earn money, recognition and experience. Though these IPL or NCAA like leagues for other sports may not be as lucrative as cricket, but in order to boost the sports culture in our country, we need to start somewhere, and forming leagues for all sports may just be the right answer to boost the sports culture. Almost every Indian wishes for more Olympic medals coming to India, and the sports enthusiasts here go into mourning after every Olympic games.
Olympics come and go, but India's medal-tally never seems to go beyond three. And it seems unlikely if the situation would ever change.
How can the medals come when there is no active promotion of sports besides cricket in India? Forming commercial leagues for other sports and actively marketing them may be the first-step towards more Olympic medals. But would there be any takers?
Monday, May 05, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Breaking rules -- its not funny!
I have been India for the last few months and enjoying every bit of my stay here, though at times I do get annoyed by the "irritatingly familiar" aspects of life here. Irritating why, simply because these aspects just don't make sense. And yes by these aspects, I mean the familiar everyday things, the kind I feel I have no choice but to silently endure them - as I just can't do anything about these things.
Take the example of traffic - the morning peak hours, everyone is in a rush, the trains, buses and autorickshaws are packed. If you commute by a private car, the traffic is in a big mess. I just wonder, why traffic cannot be systematized in a country with one of the highest educated work-force in the world? Why can't the government impose strict rules and penalties and why can't citizens abide by with the existing ones? Why citizens take pride in breaking or floundering rules? Why a rule or traffic-law abiding citizen looked down upon by some people in this country? Why can't we have a developed world kind of traffic organization in this country? We are rapidly progressing in all aspects of life in this country - economy is booming (unfortunately, so is inflation), incomes are rising, infrastructure is supposedly becoming better - then why not the traffic sense?
A look at the newspapers reveals the startling number of innocent lives lost everyday to road accidents. Reasons : rash driving a.k.a 'look I am breaking rules', trivial reasons e.g. a bus driver failing to notice a lady crossing the road, driver losing control of a bus filled with people to twice its designated capacity - leading to major accidents and causing loss of innocent lives. I sometimes wonder, if there were designated pedestrian crossings or a strict check on the buses to make sure the number of passengers does not exceed the designated capacity, could some lives be saved?
Sure, we cannot eliminate road accidents completely by following rules, but we can definitely reduce the number of accidents. If adhering to traffic rules can save lives, doesn't it make simple sense to just obey these rules!
Yeah, Only if wishing and seeing the wish getting fulfilled were the same. C'est la vie.
Take the example of traffic - the morning peak hours, everyone is in a rush, the trains, buses and autorickshaws are packed. If you commute by a private car, the traffic is in a big mess. I just wonder, why traffic cannot be systematized in a country with one of the highest educated work-force in the world? Why can't the government impose strict rules and penalties and why can't citizens abide by with the existing ones? Why citizens take pride in breaking or floundering rules? Why a rule or traffic-law abiding citizen looked down upon by some people in this country? Why can't we have a developed world kind of traffic organization in this country? We are rapidly progressing in all aspects of life in this country - economy is booming (unfortunately, so is inflation), incomes are rising, infrastructure is supposedly becoming better - then why not the traffic sense?
A look at the newspapers reveals the startling number of innocent lives lost everyday to road accidents. Reasons : rash driving a.k.a 'look I am breaking rules', trivial reasons e.g. a bus driver failing to notice a lady crossing the road, driver losing control of a bus filled with people to twice its designated capacity - leading to major accidents and causing loss of innocent lives. I sometimes wonder, if there were designated pedestrian crossings or a strict check on the buses to make sure the number of passengers does not exceed the designated capacity, could some lives be saved?
Sure, we cannot eliminate road accidents completely by following rules, but we can definitely reduce the number of accidents. If adhering to traffic rules can save lives, doesn't it make simple sense to just obey these rules!
Yeah, Only if wishing and seeing the wish getting fulfilled were the same. C'est la vie.
Monday, March 03, 2008
15 laws of life by Swami Vivekananda
Here are a few gems from teachings of Swami Vivekananda..
1. Love Is The Law Of Life: All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love’s sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.
1. Love Is The Law Of Life: All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love’s sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.
2. It’s Your Outlook That Matters: It is our own mental attitude, which makes the world what it is for us. Our thoughts make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light.
3. Life is Beautiful: First, believe in this world - that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, think that you do not understand it in the right light. Throw the burden on yourselves!
4.It’s The Way You Feel: Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God.
5. Set Yourself Free: The moment I have realised God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.
6. Don’t Play The Blame Game: Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
7. Help Others: If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.
8. Uphold Your Ideals: Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.
9. Listen To Your Soul: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
10. Be Yourself: The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!
11. Nothing Is Impossible: Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin - to say that you are weak, or others are weak.
12. You Have The Power: All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.
13. Learn Everyday: The goal of mankind is knowledge… now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man ‘knows’, should, in strict psychological language, be what he ‘discovers’ or ‘unveils’; what man ‘learns’ is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.
14. Be Truthful: Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.
15. Think Different: All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
Career Advice
Here are some website that have some useful career advice
http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change.html
Here is a wonderful book that advises job seekers, career changers etc :
What color is your parachute.
I have been recently reading the research done at the Mother Service Society pertaining to higher growth and accomplishment in life. These essays are profound and full of useful tips and I strongly recommend them :
http://www.motherservice.org/Essays/higher_career_accomplishment.htm
http://www.motherservice.org/contents.htm
http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change.html
Here is a wonderful book that advises job seekers, career changers etc :
What color is your parachute.
I have been recently reading the research done at the Mother Service Society pertaining to higher growth and accomplishment in life. These essays are profound and full of useful tips and I strongly recommend them :
http://www.motherservice.org/Essays/higher_career_accomplishment.htm
http://www.motherservice.org/contents.htm
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Maa
One of the most touching songs in a long long time ... Taare Zameen Par
Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin
Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa
Yun To Main,Dikhlata Nahin
Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata,,Meri Maa
Bheed Mein Yun Na Chodo Mujhe
Ghar Laut Ke Bhi Aa Naa Paoon Maa
Bhej Na Itna Door Mujkko Tu
Yaad Bhi Tujhko Aa Naa Paoon Maa
Kya Itna Bura Hoon Main Maa
Kya Itna Bura Meri Maa
Jab Bhi Kabhi Papa Mujhe
Jo Zor Se Jhoola Jhulate Hain Maa
Meri Nazar Dhoondhe Tujhe
Sochu Yahi Tu Aa Ke Thaamegi Maa
Unse Main Yeh Kehta Nahin
Par Main Seham Jaata Hoon Maa
Chehre Pe Aana Deta Nahin
Dil Hi Dil Mein Ghabraata Hoon Maa
Tujhe Sab Hai Pata Hai Naa Maa
Tujhe Sab Hai Pata Meri Maa
Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin
Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa
Yun To Main,Dikhlata Nahin
Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata,,Meri Maa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
